Where did the Irish Browne family come from? What is the Irish Browne family crest and coat of arms? When did the Browne family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the Browne family history?

When the Strongbownian's arrived in Ireland there was already a system for creating patronymic names in place. Therefore, the native population regarded many of the Anglo-Norman naming practices that these settlers were accustomed to as rather unusual. Despite their differences, the two different systems eventually merged together rather insidiously. The Strongbownians, when they arrived, displayed a preference for used nickname surnames. Two of the most prevalent forms were oath nicknames and imperative names. Oath names often carried blessings or were formed from habitual expressions. Imperative names, formed from a verb added to a noun or an adverb, metaphorically described the bearer's occupations. The nick name surname Browne is derived from a nickname for a person with brown hair or a tanned complexion, or a person who favored brown clothing. The surname Browne is derived from the Old English word brun or the Old French word brun, which both mean brown, and are both ultimately of Germanic origin. The Gaelic forms of the name are De Brún or le Brún. The latter form is considered to be correct.

During the lifetime of an individual person, his name was often spelt by church officials and medieval scribes the way it sounded. An examination of the many different origins of each name has revealed many spelling variations for the name: Browne, Brownes and others.

First found in County Galway. The first Browne to settle in Ireland was descended from the Counts of Marche in Pictou, in Normandy. Hugh le Brun married Isabel, the widow of King John, and their son, William de Valence was created Earl of Pembroke. Sir Hugh le Brun was one of the Lords of the Marches of Wales. His grandson, Sir William landed in Ireland in 1172 during the Norman invasion, and his son, Fromond le Brun, was Chancellor of Ireland in 1230. From Fromond was descended Sir David who built the Castle of Carrowbrowne in Oranmore. This became the senior branch of the Brownes of Galway.

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Browne research. Another 299 words(21 lines of text) covering the years 1705, 1757, 1608, 1634, 1635, 1585, 1656, 1610, 1670, 1668, 1638, 1694, 1594, 1633 and 1620 are included under the topic Early Browne History in all our PDF Extended History products.

During the middle of the 19th century, Irish families often experienced extreme poverty and racial discrimination in their own homeland under English rule. Record numbers died of disease and starvation and many others, deciding against such a fate, boarded ships bound for North America. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Unfortunately, many of those Irish that arrived in Canada or the United States still experienced economic and racial discrimination. Although often maligned, these Irish people were essential to the rapid development of these countries because they provided the cheap labor required for the many canals, roads, railways, and other projects required for strong national infrastructures. Eventually the Irish went on to make contributions in the less backbreaking and more intellectual arenas of commerce, education, and the arts. Research early immigration and passenger lists revealed many early immigrants bearing the name Browne:

Browne Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robart Browne, who arrived in Virginia in 1618

Peter Browne, who landed in Virginia in 1620 aboard the "Mayflower" from Surrey, England

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

All products shipped by HouseofNames.com are 100% guaranteed. HouseofNames.com and its partners have been researching and writing family name history documents since 1968. We have provided millions of histories worldwide - each with the Personal Service that ensures that new customers become repeat customers.

Our PDF Coat of Arms + Extended History product is the whole package all in one. With a full color Coat of Arms along with a very detailed History, full symbolism, bibliography and settlers listed by the centuries.

The Browne Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Browne Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.